Hide and Seek
by Glaceo
Summary: All the guys and girls decide to take some time off and go to a cabin near the lake. But soon they realize they're not quite alone, when a psychopath killer starts tracking them down. COMPLETED. Reviews contain spoilers.
1. Rescue Me

**Hey everyone. I know this idea must have been tried before, but I'll try to make it as different and twisted as possible. Hope you like it.**

**Hide and Seek**

**Chapter 1... Rescue Me**

"Are you done packing yet!? We have to get out of here!" yelled Brooke, looking towards Peyton's house. Lucas walked outside carrying a backpack, and waved to the others. Bevin and Skills were standing together in a loose embrace, all smiles. Peyton soon ran out, looking towards the purple sky.

"It's about to rain soon. Where the hell is Mouth, Chase and Rachel?" Nathan asked, sitting in the driver's seat of the first car. Everyone was out there, Peyton, Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Bevin, Skills, Brooke. Everyone, except those three. "I'll call them, and tell 'em to catch up. Sound good?" Asked Skills, as he flipped open his cell phone and began dialing.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Lets hit the road," said Peyton.

**Four Hours Later…**

"Oh what a beautiful house," exclaimed Bevin, as she stepped out of the car, looking the tall, old, mansion in front of them. Rachel stepped out too, and looked at the house, examining it from top to bottom. She rolled her eyes, "Beautiful? So not the word. More like antique.

She looked inside the car to Mouth, "This is the only house you could come up with!?"

Mouth looked to the house and said, "It looked good in the brochure…"

Rachel shook her head; _this was going to be a long five days._

As each one of them stepped inside the house, with its creaky floorboards and graying walls, they looked around to find places to sleep. There were only four rooms, which meant that two people would have to make do on the couch and floor. The outside of the house was covered with dense forests, leaving the one path where they had come from. The house had the basic necessities, a kitchen, three bathrooms, a small TV, sheets and food. It had an attic and cellar too, but no one cared enough to wander there anyway.

"_So,_ before anyone becomes too comfy, I call this room!" howled Rachel, pointing to the one with a single queen size bed. Everyone looked at her, there were a number of sighs, and Haley said, "You can't just call it! You don't even have anyone to sleep with!"

Rachel grinned and waved to Nathan, "Sure I do."

Haley closed her eyes, and said, "Rachel, back away before I hit you with a fire extinguisher."

Rachel laughed and said, "Fine, then how do we decide who gets what room?"

"We can alternate," suggested Peyton. Mouth looked out the window and said, "I'm alright on the couch. If Rachel is too, then…" Everyone suddenly looked to Rachel. Rachel looked aghast and said, "Fine bitches. I'll sleep on the damned couch. Happy now??!" And with that she grabbed a bottle of water from the table and stepped outside, banging the door behind her. "I'm happy," smiled Haley.

**That night…**

Bevin looked towards the door, and then looked towards the TV again. "Rachel still isn't home. Maybe she should go look for her…" Peyton walked towards the open kitchen and said, "Yeah, it is getting pretty dark."

Lucas and Skills looked to each other, then stood up and said, "Well go look." Brooke stood up too and said, "We can go too. If all of us go, we'll be able to find her faster." Everyone seemed to agree, and they all stepped out the house, closing the large black door behind them.

A cool breeze was blowing, and Brooke hugged herself to feel warmer. She looked to Chase, who looked lost. They weren't together, but at least they still talked. "So, should we go in three groups?" asked Haley, looking around the trees.

Lucas nodded and said, "Okay, yeah, Skills, you can go with Bevin and Mouth, Brooke can go with Chase, Peyton can come with me, and Nathan can go with Haley. Sound alright?" So the groups set apart into the dark, looking for Rachel.

**Thats all for now. Please tell me what you think. Thanks.**


	2. Spirit In The Night

**Hey everyone. Thanks to all the people for the reviews. I really loved them. Okay, next chapter...**

**Chapter 2... Spirit In** **The Night**

"Damn, why the hell did Rachel have to get lost in this creepy ass forest?" Skills asked, looking back to Bevin and Mouth, shaking his head.

**…**

"Maybe she's already back at the house, how do we know?" Brooke asked Chase, as they both sat down in a dry and empty patch of land. It was dark, and Brooke looked up to the sky, a crescent moon and billions of stars. She sighed and stared at Chase, who remained quiet.

**…**

Haley caught Nathan's shirt collar, and nudged him towards her. "Do we really have to find her? I mean, come on, think of how the journey back would be easier if we had one less person!" Nathan laughed and said, "Come on, I know Rachel can be a handful sometimes, but she's our friend, and we owe it to her to find her." Haley sighed and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

**…**

Peyton caught Lucas's hand tight, and looked around, a little cautious. The cool wind blew through her netted blouse, and she shivered. "Hey, you okay?" Lucas asked her, pulling her close and hugging her. He looked into her eyes, and she half smiled and said, "Yeah, it's just that, you know that feeling, that something isn't right?" Lucas gave her a comforting glance, and smiled, "Everything's gonna be okay. We'll find her."

**…**

"Where the hell is everybody?" Rachel stood up from the stoop of the house, turned around and looked at it, tilting her head to one side.

**…**

"Rachel? Rachel!" Bevin called out as loud as she could, then looked to Mouth and Skills, who were sitting aimlessly.

"Why aren't you both calling out for her?" She asked them, looking discouraged. Skills stood up and patted her, "No ma, you doing a great job. Just a few more minutes, and I'm sure she'll hear you. If not, you probably woke the dead up anyway." Mouth snickered, and Bevin looked around, her eyes wide open, "The dead? Ookay, we're going back to the house. _Now._" Mouth raised an eyebrow and said, "What about Rachel?" Bevin shivered and said, "Fine, we'll keep looking."

**…**

"I think we should go back. Come on, think of the possibility. We all wander off into the woods, and what if Rachel stumbles back to the house. Maybe she's waiting outside the house, right now, as we speak! There's always a chance. Some of us should have stayed back, Nathan." Nathan looked drawn, and then nodded and said, "Yeah. Let's go back."

**…**

"Hey, what's that?" Lucas pushed through the clearing, one hand outstretched and other holding Peyton near him. She blinked a few times, "A lake. And they're some boats there too." They both walked forward and looked towards the empty lake, quiet and eerie, with a translucent silver fog above it. "I wonder what the boats are for…" Lucas said, as they both took another step towards the lake. Peyton left Lucas's hand, and edged towards the water. She shivered to herself, and looked inside the boats. "Lucas… Come here a sec," she called out, and he walked towards her. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that the antique boats were piled half high with knives and unusually large scissors. Some were shining bright, and the others were covered with a red liquid, that looked a lot like blood. Lucas put a hand on her shoulder, "We should get out of here."

**…**

"Say something! Say anything! Come on Chase, don't give me the silent treatment," Brooke pleaded, looking at Chase walk through the dark bushes and barks. "Oh I'm not, I'm just not such a good conversationalist," he retorted. Brooke dropped her hands, feeling defeated. Chase walked onto open land, and Brooke followed absentmindedly. His mouth dropped in awe when he saw large rides and stalls in the distance. "Is that what I think it is?" Asked Brooke, squinting. Chase nodded and said, "It's a carnival."

**…**

Rachel roamed around the perimeters of the house, sighing to herself. She had a wooden stick in her hand, and she kept swinging it around, hitting brushwood and bushes. She was getting hungry and tired, and she stood near the side of the house, resting her back on the wall. It was cool, and she looked ahead into the dark trees. She then closed her eyes and whispered to herself, "What have you got yourself into Gatina." Suddenly, she heard a few twigs crunch in front of her. She opened her eyes, and stood up properly. She held the stick in her hand, and asked the wind, "Who's there?"

**Well, thats all. Im sorry there wasnt much horror in this chapter. But it will come soon. Anyways. Please tell me what you think. Thanks a lot.**


	3. Crimson

**Hey everyone. Thanks to all my reviewers; x.kaytee.x, THwritter, nscottsgirl23 and lalaonetreehill. I really love them. Sorry I took so long to update. Well, here's another chapter. **

**Chapter 3… Crimson**

"Whoa there, it's just us," said Nathan, pulling the branches aside and coming towards the house. Haley laughed and said, "_Oo_, wouldn't wanna get hit in the head by your weapon!" She faked a scary face, and Rachel rolled her eyes. She dropped the stick and moaned, "Where the hell was everyone? I could have died you know." Nathan smiled and replied, "I'm sure you could have." He took out the key and opened the door, and it made a creaking noise as it opened. The three walked inside and Haley sat on the couch, looking to Nathan, who took out water from the fridge.

"Hey shouldn't we call the others or something?" She asked both of them, and Rachel replied, "We could, if the phones would work. I still have to personally thank Mouth for this oh-so _wonderful _destination."

Nathan sighed, "Come on, he did the best he could." Rachel plopped on the couch next to Haley and said, "Move over." Haley looked annoyed and stood up. She walked to the stairway upstairs, "I'm going for a shower. Nathan, you wanna come?" Rachel's eyes widened as she looked at Haley and muttered, "Eugh. Third person in the room! Jeesh!" With that she got up from the couch and went into one of the empty rooms.

**…**

"We need to head back. Now." Brooke caught Chase's arm, who looked very amazed by the carnival. "Why do you think this place is so deserted?" He asked her, looking around and shouting, "Hello! Is there anybody here?!"

Brooke shushed him saying, "Chase! Come on, it's late. I'm sure Rachel would have found her way back by now." Chase sighed and turned around, "Okay. But we're coming back here." Brooke looked around the ghostly place, whispering, "We'll see."

**…**

Haley put on the shower and felt the hot water sprinkle all over her skin. She tingled and looked up, closing her eyes and sighing. She heard a knock on the door, and she shouted, "Yeah?" But all she heard was another knock. She thought it was Nathan, and so she said, "It's open." The door opened slowly, and she could see a tall figure, blurred by the shower curtain. She couldn't quite tell who it was. The figure took a step closer to her, and she squinted, "Nathan?" As soon as she pulled the shower curtain away and looked, no one was there anymore. She wrapped the towel around herself and walked to the door, looking around the hallway. _Empty._ "Nathan?" She yelled to downstairs, and heard a subsequent _'yeah'_ from him. "Did you come up here right now?"

She heard footsteps coming up, and Nathan walked to her, looking a little surprised she was in her towel. "What you doing out here like that, it's pretty cold," he murmured, and she wondered how anyone could have gone down so quickly.

The door below creaked open, and Nathan looked downstairs. Rachel walked outside from the room she was in, and shouted, "Bevin, Mouth and Skills are here…" Haley and Nathan could both hear Bevin buzzing in excitement as to how Rachel was alright. Another time the door creaked, and Chase could be heard telling the others about what he and Brooke had seen. Nathan looked to Haley, hugged her and said, "Why don't you come down? We'll have some dinner and talk." She still looked a little confused, and he asked her, "You okay?" She shook her head, "Yeah, I'll just be down in a minute."

An hour passed, and soon, Lucas and Peyton too came back. They all sat for dinner, and Lucas asked Rachel, "Where exactly did you go? She looked a little taken aback, and muttered, "Well, I just went out for a long walk. And when I'm back, nobody's home! So, I had to stay out alone in the dark for like an hour, hoping to God someone would come. Next time, I'm taking a key along." Everybody smiled at Rachel's irritation.

**…**

Haley shot up in her bed, cold sweat tracing her forehead. She wiped it off with the back of her hand, and looked to her side. Nathan was sound asleep, but she needed a cold glass of milk. She didn't know why she woke up, but if it was a nightmare, she had forgotten it. She stepped into her slippers, and opened the door. Their room was on the first floor, and she walked downstairs slowly, blinking slowly but repetitively. She went to the fridge, opened it and took out a carton of milk. But when she closed it and turned around, she dropped the carton, because in front of her was a still body covered in blood. The still body of Rachel.

**Well thats all. Please tell me what you think.. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Every Night Is Another Story

**Hey everyone. Thanks to all the people that reviewed last time. I really loved the reviews. Well, first, I just wanna say that I was having a teensy bit writers block, and I just needed this chapter to make way for some story ideas. So im really sorry if this chappie isnt that good. I tried my best.**

**Chapter 4... Every Night Is Another Story**

Haley ran towards the body, and screamed loudly, "Nathan!" The sound of her yelling awoke Mouth, who was sleeping on the couch. He shot up and walked towards her, his eyes stinging at the sight. Haley looked closer; Rachel's eyes were shut tight. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she went and placed her hand on Rachel's arm. But all of a sudden she shot back in fear, as the body said, "Boo!"

Rachel laughed and stood up, while Haley's mouth hung open. "Had you there, didn't I?" She joked, and by that time, everyone had come down. All of them except Mouth and Haley were confused, and Brooke asked, "What the heck happened here?"

Haley's mouth twisted in a scowl, as she pushed Rachel back, called her a bitch, and went upstairs. Mouth shook his head and said, "Rachel, come on, how could you have done that?" Everyone else still had no clue what was happening, but Rachel defended herself by saying, "Oh come on Mouth, it was just a prank…"

**The Next Morning…**

"Why haven't we told anyone about the boats Lucas?" Peyton asked him, as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Lucas sighed and said, "Well, I guess after what happened last night, I didn't think it would be that important. Why freak everyone out just like that, you know?" Peyton half smiled and nodded, but she still didn't feel the same way.

**…**

"Why are you so set on going to that creepy carnival anyway? I mean, come on, it's abandoned!" Pleaded Brooke, almost yelling. Chase rolled his eyes and said, "It just looks interesting."

Brooke raised an eyebrow and replied, "Interesting? We're in the middle of a fucking forest. Nothing here is _really_ interesting. And if the carnival was so far off, I doubt anyone wants us to find it." Chase gritted his teeth, and then suddenly burst, "Why do you get to decide what I should and shouldn't do?! If I wanna see the bloody carnival, I _will_ see the bloody carnival!"

With that he stormed outside their room, closing the door loudly. Brooke plopped down on the bed, frustrated, and soon heard the door below opening and closing.

She went down and saw Skills on the couch. "Who just went out?" She asked him, nervous. He didn't pay much attention and said, "Euhm, I think it was Chase. Yeah, it was him."

**…**

"Isn't the forest just amazing?" Beamed Bevin, as Haley and Nathan followed her around the dirt paths made for visitors. Haley was still pretty miffed about what had happened last night, so she didn't say anything, while Nathan just nodded to keep Bevin happy.

**Four hours later…**

"Hey, have any of you seen Chase?" Brooke asked, looking at all of them sitting in the living room, chatting and watching TV. Some of them looked up to her, and Mouth replied, "No, haven't seen him since the morning actually. I wonder where he went. It's going to get dark outside soon. Maybe we should go look for him?"

Rachel looked up to him and retorted, "Another wild goose chase in the forest? I'm sure that'll be _a lot_ of fun wont it?"

Brooke looked nervous and said, "Eh, forget it. I think I know where he went. If I'm not back in by nightfall, avenge my death." Haley grunted and said, "So _not_ funny Brooke!" Brooke just shrugged and left.

A while later, Peyton stood up and looked to Lucas, "I think I need some fresh air. Sitting here doing nothing is making me sluggish." He took hold of her hand, and looked at her, "I'll come along."

She shook her head, saying, "No, no, stay here."

She walked to the door, and unexpectedly, Bevin stood up and volunteered to accompany her. Nathan stared at her and inquired, "But we just came back less than half an hour ago?"

Bevin looked unfazed and said, "So? We're only here for a few days. I wanna soak in all this wilderness."

Peyton didn't mind, and they both walked out into the pleasant air. Bevin, as always was excited, and asked, "Where are we going?"

Peyton smirked and said, "Bevin, do you like boats…?"

**Well, thats all. I hope you liked it. Please tell me what you think. Thanks a lot!**


	5. Tragedy Strikes In Three's

**Hey everyone. Firstly, thanks to all my readers and reviewers: JosselynR, erika x3, Literati and naley forever, lucas'sbabygirl, THwritter, bethy23, nemo123489, LeytonTilEnd, lalaonetreehill, Dreamerchick21, Brucasequalslove, nscottsgirl23, x.kaytee.x, and ilyy-23. I love all you guys! And here's another chapter... **

**Chapter 5... Tragedy Strikes In Three's**

"Chase! Cha-se!" Yelled out Brooke, looking around the abandoned carnival. She passed by empty and dust layered stalls selling popcorn and taffy, and old tents in red and white stripes, their signs large and rusted. She looked all around, and then screamed for him again. _No answer._ She looked down to the ground, sighed and walked towards one of the striped tents.

**…**

"Where are we?" Asked Bevin, whispering. Peyton pointed to the lake and said, "Well, I found this lake when we were looking for Rachel." She looked at the boats, somehow they looked different. Then she noticed it, they were empty. The knives and scissors she'd earlier seen were now no where to be found. Bevin tapped Peyton's shoulder and asked, "So, are we going for a boat ride?!"

Peyton thought about it for a moment, then half smiled and nodded. "We're going for a boat ride."

**…**

Rachel sat lazily on the couch alone, flicking through the limited choice of channels. She yawned quietly, and then looked outside the window. Suddenly, she shot up with a start and yelled. "Guys! Come down _now_!" She stood up from the couch and backed away to the kitchen table, her face twisted in a nervous frown. Mouth came down first, followed by Haley and Nathan.

"What happened?" Mouth questioned her, looking at the frightened expression on her face. "There's someone outside! He was looking at me! Right now!! I was watching the TV, and I just looked out for a second, and there he was!"

Haley rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah sure, that happened."

Rachel was stunned. "I'm serious! There is someone watching us!" Haley walked to the stairway and grumbled, "You really expect us to believe you? You pretended to be dead, as a prank! And now you're co-incidentally the chick who cried wolf!? I can't take this."

She threw her hands up in the air and walked upstairs. Rachel was shocked that no one would believe her. Nathan walked to the window and murmured, "I don't see anyone." Mouth glanced at her, and then looked to the door. "Maybe we can check it out? What do you say Nate?" Nathan looked a little doubtful, but then titled his head to one side and said, "Yeah okay, let's check it out."

**…**

Brooke cautiously wandered into the old building, a musty and mildew type smell surrounded it. She put her hand over her nose and mouth, protecting herself from the stench. She looked around the room, and her mouth dropped open as she saw Chase's still body on a table. His face was barely recognizable, with dark red slashes all over it, and there were three paintbrushes jabbed into his chest and stomach. She screamed loudly into the air, tears flowing down her cheeks, and rushed over to him. "Chase! Chase!"

She screeched as she caught hold of his shirt and suddenly noticed he was alive. "_Chase!?_"

He half opened one eye, and coughed out some blood. _'Brooke'_ was all he could manage to say.

"I have to get these out of you", she said to herself, and shutting her eyes, grabbed the paintbrush and pulled it out. It made a gut wrenching slimy type of sound, and she bit her lip. Chase didn't seem to notice, he was in too much pain already. She then continued to pull all of them out, and then she put one of her hands on his face. "Chase, come on, come on, speak to me! Don't lose me here!"

Chase was barely able to look up, but he did, and the last word he uttered was, _"Run."_

Just as she was about to lift his unresponsive body, she heard someone or something behind her. She looked behind, only to see the back of someone. She dropped the paintbrushes and ran.

**…**

"Row Bevin row! Come on, come on!" Peyton urged, as they both put all their force into rowing the boats. "_Uhh_… Peyton, do you even know where we're actually going? Cause not that I don't love boats, but my arms _really_ hurt." Peyton did know where she was going. She had spotted it the other day. An island, in the far off distance. She hadn't told Lucas, she hadn't told anyone. But now she was rowing there, closer and closer, along with someone who had no clue where the hell they were.

**Well, thats all. I hope you liked it. And yes, he really is dead. Please tell me what you think... Thanks a lot!**


	6. This Time We All Breakdown

**Hey everyone. Thanks a lot for the reviews. I loved them. Here's another chapter...**

**Chapter 6... This Time We All Breakdown**

_What am I doing? What if I get both of us killed? _

"Oooh! I see a light!" Bevin beamed, pointing behind Peyton. Peyton turned around; still half lost in thought and whispered to herself, "Oh god."

**…**

Sweat drizzling down her forehead, Brooke coughed and stopped darting from one place to another. Panting, breathing in the cold air around her, she glanced back. No one. Chase was dead. _I have to get out of here,_ she thought. She looked around, scanning the carnival. It was surrounded by forests, and she had no clue from where she had come. She closed her eyes, wishing it would all go away. Wishing she would be back in Tree Hill. She opened them, blinking slowly; she was still at the carnival. She sighed, and a few tears slowly fell down her eyes. She walked to the _'House of Mirrors'_, wiping her face with the back of her hand. She stood outside, looking at the large sign, no thoughts suddenly in her mind.

Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed the back of her mouth, a clammy hand, a large hand. She tried screaming, but couldn't. She seemed to be paralyzed in fear. She even tried breaking free of the man, who now held her by the stomach, but his hold was strong. "Sssh, there there little girl. I hate it when they try to scream." She swallowed, thoughts whizzing past her mind. _I have to get out of here. I have to tell the others. _As the man tried pushing her away, she stepped on his foot and with all her force bit his hand. His blood rushed into her mouth, and he moaned and stepped back. His hold on her was now loose, and she pulled free of him. She didn't turn around, but spat out the blood and ran for dear life.

**…**

"Finally. Some land," Bevin exclaimed, stepping off from the boat, smiling as usual. Peyton stepped on the land, marshy and damp, and her shoe almost sank into it. She shook her leg, and ran to Bevin, who had already gone ahead. The island had a dim lamp near the edge of the land, where they had stopped the boats. Other than that, no other light could be seen in sight. By now the sky had turned a deep purple color, and there were almost no stars.

"So, where to now?" Asked Bevin, looking hopefully to Peyton. Peyton looked down. She didn't have any plan. She'd been stupid to just jump on a boat and bring Bevin along with her here. But she didn't wanna freak Bevin out, so she replied, "Lets look around. Okay?" There were only a few thin and dying trees, which further led to open clearings in the center. As they both walked across the forests, Bevin hummed a tune and muttered, "Isn't it a beautiful night?"

Peyton half smiled, trying to hide her true emotions. As they crossed the trees, they came across somewhat of a camp. There were a few rickety houses, and a set-up camp fireplace, with its outline of large pebbles. They stared around, pretty amazed, and suddenly, Bevin held Peyton's hand and grinned, "Let's check out one of the houses! What do you say?" Peyton nodded weakly, and they both walked towards the first house they saw. Bevin walked up the three wooden stairs, and pushed the door open and it creaked loudly. Peyton shushed her, and they looked inside the house. It had two bunk beds, and looked surprisingly well kept.

Peyton first noticed the small table in between the bunk beds which had a half eaten loaf of bread and an empty dish on it. She walked closer and whispered, "That's weird." She picked up the bread, "This is still fresh." Bevin looked closer, walking to one of the beds, her eyes widening as she saw a book there. It was a diary. She picked it up and read out loud, "_The Diary of Ian Banks 2006 – 07._ That _is _weird. Who the heck is Ian Banks?"

**…**

"I don't see anyone," Nathan said, as he and Mouth walked outside the house, looking for whoever Rachel had seen. Mouth gazed around, sighing, "Me neither." Nathan stopped by the main door, and said, "Mouth, do you still have feelings for Rachel?"

Mouth looked shocked and a little taken aback, and retorted, "No, what gave you that idea?"

Nathan just shook his head and responded, "Well, it's just that when Haley saw Rachel pretending…" But he was cut off in the middle by a bloodcurdling scream that came from inside the house. They both looked at each other, and dashed inside the house.

**Well, thats all. I hope you liked it. Please tell me what you think...**


	7. Knock Knock, Are You Alone?

**Hey everyone. Thanks a lot for the reviews, I really appreciate it. Sorry I took so long to update. Here's another chapter...**

**Chapter 7... Knock Knock, Are You Alone?**

**An hour ago…**

Lucas lay in his bed, his senses dimmed, staring at the ceiling, thinking. The room was weakly lit, and the window was open, a slightly cold breeze blowing inside. He turned over, wondering where Peyton was. _I hope she's okay. She couldn't have gone to the boats, could she? But she went with Bevin, so of course she didn't go to the boats… My imagination must be playing tricks on me…_

There was a knock on the door, and Skills poked his head through, asking, "Lucas, you awake?"

Lucas looked to the door and murmured, "Yeah."

"I'm going for a shower a'ight? So if anyone asks…"

Lucas nodded dully and Skills closed the door. There was a shallow pit in his stomach, he was restless, and couldn't stop his mind from thinking the worst. He heard Rachel's voice below, followed by some commotion outside. Then there were footsteps, and before he could hear anything more, he was asleep.

**Now…**

He shot up with a start in his bed, hearing the shriek that came from outside. He looked to the clock, it was eight thirty.

_Peyton. Peyton. Peyton. Where the hell is Peyton? Is she back yet? How could I have gone to sleep?_

While thinking, he stood up and ran outside, only to crash into Mouth and Nathan, who were both out of breath. "What happened?" He asked, confused and a little tense.

Mouth looked to him and replied, "We were hoping you could tell us."

Suddenly, Haley stepped out of the bathroom which was a few feet away from all of them. She was pointing towards the inside, and stammered, "Sk-Skills… He, he… he's dead."

**…**

Brooke kept looking behind her back, just to make sure no one was behind her.

_I'm a coward. I left Chase. I left him, and I just ran away from it all. _

She didn't know whether what she did was the right thing to do or not. She made her way through the trees, her clothes dirty and damp with sweat, her legs scratched and slightly bleeding. She didn't realize that she had been crying for a while, she just kept running away from the carnival.

**…**

"Peyton, you look scared. Did something happen?" Bevin put down the diary and walked to her friend, who was now standing still, paralyzed with fright. Bevin took her hand and whispered, "What's wrong?"

Feeling Bevin's touch, she suddenly snapped back into reality, and muttered, "Bevin, Bevin… I don't want to freak you out okay? But we have to get out of here. _Right now._ There is something very wrong with this place."

Bevin looked confused and protested, "But we just got here! Shouldn't we stay at least a little longer?"

Peyton suddenly snapped and said, "No! We can't Bevin! We just can't! We have to get out of here, before something happens." Bevin was a little aghast at Peyton's sudden outburst, and just garbled, "Okay, let's go then." As Peyton turned around and walked towards the door, she looked back to Bevin and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… scream at you like that." Bevin looked indifferent and told her that it was okay.

Peyton stepped down the three steps, and walked onto the firm, but slightly wet earth. She shook her head and thought to herself, _What is happening? Is any of this real?_

She had started walking when she looked back and saw Bevin still inside the house. She was first a little annoyed, but her emotions suddenly changed to fear as she saw a man walking towards the house, from the other side of the forest. She quickly hid behind a tree, trying to sneak a view. She couldn't leave Bevin. She _had _to save her. The man was looking towards the ground as he walked, speaking to himself. It was Psycho Derek. Peyton could tell from far away. The straight white blonde hair, the tall build, she knew it was him. And he was walking right towards where Bevin was.

_Think Peyton, think._

**…**

Brooke could see through the trees now. She could see the light coming from the windows of the house. She felt she had never been so glad in her life. But she was tired. She couldn't walk anymore, run anymore, cry anymore. The house was a mere two hundred steps away, but it seemed to be miles and miles. Her feet were heavy with each step, like a burden of many stones. She was breathing heavily, _loudly,_ as she pushed through the leaves and branches. She reached just outside the house, looked to the now black sky, and fell to the ground.

**…**

They all stood outside the door of the bathroom. The shower curtain was half drawn, but you could see the motionless body inside. The shower was on, and if anyone walked closer, they could have seen the diluted blood pouring down the sink. Skills was almost stuck to the wall, with a long erect knife through his neck. His face was still and expressionless, and his eyes dazed into nothingness. Haley fell into Nathan's arms, crying. Lucas and Mouth looked crushed, and Rachel stood there still, stunned with dread.

**Well thats all for now. I hope you liked it. Also, around two to three days after I post a chapter, I'll put up spoilers for the next chapter/s on my profile page. So if you want, you can check them out. Anyways. Please tell me what you think.. Thank you!**


	8. His Face Lit Up A Tinted Blue

**Hey everyone. Sorry for taking sooo long to update. But school started for me, and I just couldnt find the time. Thanks to all those waited, and to those who read and reviewed. Here's another chapter.**

**Chapter 8... And At Night His Face Lit Up A Tinted Blue**

_It's now or never._

Thinking quickly, Peyton picked up a sharp rock from the ground, and threw it as far as she could towards Ian. As soon as the stone left her hands, she turned around behind the tree again, her breathing heavy, her back scratching against the rough tree's surface. She had heard the rock hit the ground somewhere. It sounded like the sound of someone throwing a rubber ball against a glass window. Now all she could do was pray to God that it had distracted him.

Bevin had heard a strange thud-like sound outside. She had dropped the diary, and almost stumbled outside, when the side of her left eye saw a figure in the distance. It was a man. A stranger.

_What if it's a killer?_ _I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die… What's going to happen to Skills if I die?_

Bevin was lost in thought as she tried to glance through the open creak in the door.

As soon as the rock had hit the ground near him, Ian knew something was up. Someone was here. Was it her already? No, it couldn't be. _She's not that brave_, he thought. But it was someone. And he was going to find out who it was. He grinned and looked towards the patch of dark trees, walking closer towards them.

**…**

"He can't be dead. He just… can't." Lucas could barely speak. They had taken the body from the bathroom and laid him on one of the sofas, covered with a white sheet. The blood through his neck made a deep red spot over the pure cloth. Haley still hadn't stopped sobbing.

"We have to get out of here. Now," Nathan announced, standing up, a nervous look in his eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Asked Lucas, suddenly offended. "Someone fucking killed Skills, and you wanna get out! What about his murderer?! What about him?! We just never find him?" Lucas seemed as though he was going to punch Nathan in the face, but Mouth held him back, and he fell back down slowly on his chair.

"Lucas, I know… I know, this is not what you wanted to hear. But there is someone out there. Someone who wants to kill us. We can't risk anything right now."

Rachel, who'd been quiet until now, spoke up. "What about Bevin, Peyton, Chase and Brooke!" She pointed out the window towards the sky. "It's nightfall. They could be anywhere. And there's a killer loose in the woods. We can't leave without them. We've got to find them, and quick."

Nathan stared blankly at his friends. He didn't want to admit he was scared out of his mind. His friend had just died. And four of his other friends were somewhere in the woods in the middle of nowhere. But they couldn't give up.

"Okay. We're doing this quickly. Mouth, you come with me. We're going to find Brooke and Chase. Lucas, you try and find Peyton and Bevin."

Haley was a little startled by all of this. She looked up to Nathan and asked, fearfully, "You're going to leave me and Rachel alone in the house?"

Nathan looked grimly at his wife. "Someone has to stay here incase any one of them comes back. I didn't want it to come to this, but there's no choice." He stepped towards one of the cupboards and took out a key from his pocket. The cupboard consisted of small drawers, all with locks. No one had cared enough to put anything in them, since they didn't need to. Nathan pushed the small key into the topmost drawer, and opened it. He reached in and took out a 9 mm handgun, brushing the dust away.

He handed it to Rachel, who looked to Haley and said, "I don't wanna make you afraid, but when your stable husband takes out a pistol, you know we're fucked."

Haley looked to Nathan, doubtful and surprised that he had a gun. "Where did you get that from…?" She questioned.

"Mom. You know, just incase…" He didn't complete the sentence.

**…**

Nathan, Mouth and Lucas walked outside the house, only to find Brooke collapsed a few yards away, near the trees. Mouth rushed to her and tried to wake her up, and she did, blinking slowly and coughing. "Ch-chase… he's… gone… there's a killer…" Nathan and Mouth knew what had happened. Just like that, another one of their friends was forever gone. They took Brooke back to the house hurriedly. But had to leave with her soon, since she was the only one who knew where the carnival was. They couldn't leave without finding Chase, _irregardless of his being_ _dead or alive,_ and they wouldn't.

**…**

Bevin had seen the stranger walk away from the cabin and towards the forest. She knew that Peyton was there. _Saving her._ Quiet as a cat, she slipped out the cabin door, and ran in the opposite direction, tracing the trees, but away from the stranger. She could see Peyton far away in the distance, her back leaning against a tall tree. Bevin paced stealthily near her, and yelled out silently. Peyton, even though perplexed and frightened, saw Bevin in the distance. She ran towards Bevin, reassured for just a second. But the bushes and barks beneath her crunched, and she knew Psycho Derek would hear her. As she caught up to Bevin, they both escaped through the trees, to the muddy shore.

Panting as they ran, Peyton mumbled, "I'm so sorry Bevin. I should have told you…"

Bevin just stammered, "Its okay- Peyton – its – not – like- we're – dead – yet!"

Peyton couldn't even manage a smile, even though she wanted to let Bevin know how thankful she was. Staggering but picking themselves up, their shoes half-soaked in muck, they made their way towards the boat. Peyton looked back to see no one was behind them. Not yet anyway.

They started rowing quickly. About a minute or two later, she looked to Bevin and said, "Bevin. I just wanna say – thanks. I really wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you." Bevin beamed as usual and said, "_I _wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you." They both hugged, but the moment ended abruptly as Peyton heard the loud voice of someone from the shore. It was _him_. And he was laughing.

**Well thats all. I hope you liked it. Please tell me what you think... Thanks!**


	9. Twinkling Lights Of A Different Kind

**Hey everyone. As you may or may not know, I had exams. So I wasnt able to update. Im really sorry about that. But now that theyre over, I'll be updating weekly. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers: cloudless MILE, bethy23, JosselynR., NaleyBrucasJeytonfan1011, BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, THwritter, x.kaytee.x and nemo123489. Well, I wanted to add more to the chapter, but then I realised I'd already written quite a long one, so yeah. Now to shut me up, here's another chapter...**

**Chapter 9... Twinkling Lights Of A Different Kind**

Haley closed the refrigerator's door and took a sip of the cold water. It soothed her, and she glanced back to Rachel, who was sitting aimlessly on one of the chairs, sighing, the pistol in one of her hands. "I think you should keep that down," said Haley, cautiously.

Just to irritate Haley, Rachel aimed the gun at Haley and said, "Bang, bang." She then giggled, and Haley shuddered and walked away, a disgusted expression planted on her face. They sat there, not talking, for a few moments, until there was a sudden _'thud' _from somewhere above in the house.

Haley suddenly stood up with a start on hearing it, looking fearfully at Rachel, who stared at the pistol and said, "We're not going anywhere. Whoever is there, whatever is there, it's going to have to come to us. That way we know we won't be surprised. Got it?" She gestured with her free hand for Haley to sit down, and even though Haley didn't want to be following Rachel's orders, she knew it was the sensible thing to do.

**…**

Their boat shook against the shallow but violent waves, from one side to another. Bevin looked out behind Peyton, and exclaimed, "I see land! Finally, I'm starving." Peyton glimpsed back momentarily, and then sighed, "I wish I felt better. I know _he's_ out there, somewhere. And that laugh…" She couldn't continue.

She had explained to Bevin the whole Psycho Derek situation as they had rowed, and Bevin had accepted it all pretty well, except for the part where she felt sad she couldn't help the girls out at Prom Night. After a little while, the boat hit the shore slowly but with a hard shock, and they both fell forward. Helping each other out, Peyton gazed out towards the sea, but couldn't see the island's lights.

Before she could say anything, Bevin caught hold of her hand and said, "Come on Peyton, let's go."

**…**

Brooke, Nathan and Mouth made their way through the dense trees, Brooke trying her hardest to stay on the right path. She kept looking back to see if the guys were still behind her, a long lasting fear had settled into her mind. Crunching over branches and walking past vines, they saw a clearing. _The carnival_. It still looked the same to Brooke, but that was what made it worse. She would have actually preferred not finding it, since that would mean she wouldn't have to face Chase again, and everything would have just been an illusion.

"Wow," said Mouth, gaping at the tents, stalls and rides.

"How did people not find this place?" He asked no one in particular.

Nathan looked solemn and said, "Maybe no one actually made it out alive."

Stepping closer and closer to the now ancient fair, nervousness crept into all of them, but they didn't stop. Once they were in the middle of everything, they faced three different directions, and Nathan asked, "Where is he?"

Brooke examined her surrounding, looking at the various shapes and buildings around her. _It was a striped tent, _she remembered. She told them this fact, due to which Mouth looked disconcerted, as there was more than one tent in the carnival. But rather than wasting time, they walked towards one of the larger tents. Brooke's memories seemed to be blurred, and she felt weak that she couldn't be of any help. She stared down to the ground as they walked, but just as they were about to step inside, she looked up and her eye caught the Giant Wheel next to the food stalls. Something was hanging in the middle of the large contraption. It had to be Chase. Her eyes widened, as she forgot everything else and ran towards it yelling, "Chase! No!"

Nathan and Mouth followed her, puzzled and afraid altogether. But soon they saw what she saw, a limp body, bloody and bruised, hanging from the wheel. On closer inspection, they saw his sunken eyes, and his scarred dead face.

**…**

Another thud. Then another. With each sound, Haley looked fainter and fainter. She kept her eyes on Rachel, pleading without talking, that they should leave, or do something. _Anything._

Rachel made an annoyed expression and rolled her eyes, complaining, "For God's sake woman, you don't work well under pressure, do you? It could be anything. It could be the door opening and closing due to the wind. It could be a drawer. It could be…"

"--A murderer" Haley finished.

Rachel stood up and threw her hands up in the air.

"You think it's a murderer? Fine. It's a murderer then. Let's go and blow his brains out right now. Are you ready to face him Haley? Are you?! Cause sooner or later it's either that or leaving. I know what you want to do. But _I'm_ sure as hell not leaving this house until our friends fucking return! Do you understand that! But if you wanna run away like a frightened girl, then go. The door's right there…" She pointed backwards.

Haley was a little taken aback, but she didn't reply. She just walked to the stairway, her eyes fixed on whatever that could be upstairs.

"I want to go up," Haley said.

Rachel grinned and said, "Suddenly not afraid of a little fight? Alright. We'll go up. But you should know, if any killer yielding a knife comes for me, I'm totally gonna use you as a human shield."

Haley rolled her eyes, sighing. "I don't understand how you stay so well under these… circumstances."

"Shit happens. You learn to deal," Rachel replied, coolly.

Haley nodded, even though she didn't completely feel satisfied. Rachel was now standing next to her, as they slowly ascended up the stairs.

On reaching the hall, they saw that nothing had changed. Well, nothing distinguishable anyway. The door to the bathroom was ajar, as they had left it. The doors of the other three rooms were closed. Haley pointed to them loosely, and whispered in a bleak tone, "What if someone's in the rooms?"

Rachel glimpsed at the pistol and said, "I always wanted to shoot something other than ducks."

Haley caught Rachel's free hand, and Rachel looked to her, a confused expression on her face, as they reached the bathroom. They both peeked inside, nothing. The same blood stain on the wall, the watery floor, everything was unchanged. Then they turned to face the opposite door. Rachel sighed and muttered, "And those two girls were never heard of again…"

Haley looked to Rachel; her eyes completely open, and pinched her arm. Rachel laughed and almost yelled, "Hey! That hurt! I'm only kidding…"

She braced herself and turned the lock on the door, it made a slow clicking sound. She opened it only a little, and then kicked it farther, pointing the pistol directly in front of her. Haley kept her back to Rachel, keeping guard to see if anyone would come near them.

After a quick look, Rachel said, "No one inside."

They checked the other rooms too. The same results each time. Feeling rather disheartened that her hunch was wrong, Haley looked out the somewhat open hallway window, down outside. It was all trees, the moon casting a dull light on them.

Rachel could sense her disappointment and said, "Don't worry. We'll kill something later."

As they were about to descend, Haley's eyed flashed towards the hallway ceiling. A small thread with a ball hung there, leading to the attic. They'd never been inside the attic. Haley elbowed Rachel softly who looked to where Haley was staring.

She sighed and smiled.

Haley reached for the ball and jumped and caught it, pulling it down quickly. The stairs fell open, and Rachel looked up. Her eyes were wide, and she froze in horror, seeing that a pair of eyes was staring back at her.

**Well, thats all. Sorry for not being able to add Lucas in this chapter. I'll be sure to in the next chapter. Hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think... Thanks!**


	10. Through A Glass, Darkly

**Hey everyone. Thanks a lot for all the reviews. I really loved them all. Sorry for such a long wait. I thought after my exams ended, I'd have more time. Apparently not. School is more tiring than ever, with loads of tests. So im sorry. And thanks for still reading it so far. Here's another chapter...**

**Chapter 10... Through A Glass, Darkly**

_Bang._

Rachel stepped back with the recoiling force of the gun. As soon as the bullet had flown out, it had made a startling sound and everything was silent for a moment. Haley had a shocked expression on her face, and was looking at Rachel, who had the gun pointed towards the attic.

But she had missed.

In less than a second, the unruly tall man had taken three steps at a time and run down the stairs. He had tried desperately with his large, bony fingers to grab at Rachel or the gun, but had missed since Rachel had stepped even further back. During the sudden rush of movements, Haley had noticed what he looked like, soaring, pale skin, wavy black hair. He had rushed right past her after Rachel, and she seemed to be paralyzed in unexpected shock.

Rachel stumbled backwards and fell, as the man came closer and grabbed for the gun. In an impulse she threw it backwards down the stairs, and it made a few loud sounds as it fell down the individual steps. Then, Rachel took advantage of the distraction and kicked the man in knee. He fell backwards with a groan, and at the same time, Haley rushed from behind and pushed him forwards. He fell down right next to Rachel, and she instantly stood up, screaming, "Haley! Run!"

As she caught Haley's hand and tried to escape down the stairway, he caught her left leg and she shrieked. Haley saw what had happened and tried to climb back up and stamp her foot on his hand. But he pushed her strongly towards the wall, and she slumped down, knocked out. Rachel looked at the sorry state of her friend, and tried even harder to escape from his grip. But he then stood up and grinned, evilly, and then made a fist. And then everything went dark for Rachel.

**…**

Lucas bent down, panting. He then stood up fully and looked towards the distance, his eyes watering slightly. _Where is she, where is she, where is she. _And then he noticed it. Far off in the lake, a dim light on a boat was slowly wavering and coming towards the shore. _Peyton,_ he thought. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he yelled out over the water, "Peyton! Bevin! Can you hear me?!"

There was no change in the wavering light. He thought it would be close enough for them to hear him. He was sure of it. He waited. Minutes passed, and the light continued to come closer and closer. He called out for them again. Yet again there was no response. _Who is that_, he wondered, his thoughts now wandering to a dark place. He turned around in a circle, thinking, _Fuck, fuck, fuck_. Time was passing in vain. He stared back to the water, and then, everything went dark for Lucas.

**…**

They had managed to somehow get him down from the wheel. His body was a dismal display of its previous self, battered and bloody, and Brooke couldn't stop crying. Nathan and Mouth tried to console her, at the same time worried about the girls they'd left at home.

"Come on Brooke, lets go back," Nathan said, with a firm resolve.

She glanced at him, sitting on the gravel covered floor, holding Chase in her arms. Mouth had bend down and was patting her on the back affectionately, and he too now looked up. Brooke nodded slowly, and the three stood up, carrying a dead body along with them. They were going back to the house. They wanted to leave this place. They wanted to forget the pain. They wanted to be back in Tree Hill.

As they walked away from the carnival towards the woods wearily, another motionless body was being carried towards it. Their paths were different, and there was a very good chance that they would never see Lucas again.

**…**

Rachel opened her eyes, slowly, and then blinked a few times, trying to adjust herself to the darkness. But it was translucent darkness. She was tied at the feet and hands, back to back with someone else, Haley. Her head throbbed horribly, and she felt bruised at the points where she was tied. She was covered with a large white sheet, which caused the darkness. She tried to keep as quiet as she could, and stopped moving instantly, since she hadn't the faintest clue where the man was. Or where they were, _either_.

"Haley?" She whispered.

There was no answer. But she could feel Haley breathing. At least there was some solace in that.

**…**

He stared at the gun kept on the table. His eyes constantly switched from the weapon to the clock. Again, and again. It was 10:12, exactly. The bitches were tied up. _Ian said he would be at the shore some time after 10._ He stood up, sauntered over to the table, and picked up the gun. Switching off the lights, he hummed a theme tune while he walked to the door and stepped outside.

**…**

The waves shook the boat, but not too extremely. The boat made a mellow sound as it hit the shore. He stepped outside, taking out the knives from inside. They were slightly drenched, as was he. He had heard Lucas calling out to Peyton. He smiled.

_They're all here, are they? Now it's time to play._

**Well, that's all. I hope there werent many grammatical errors. I wasnt able to edit it in a quiet place. So im sorry about that. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!**


	11. No

**Hey everyone. Thanks a lot for all the reviews. I really loved them. Sorry for taking a long time to update though. Not many more chapters left now. So, here it is...**

**Chapter 11... No**

"Ssh," whispered Peyton, looking through the bushes cautiously. Bevin wiped some wet twigs and mud off her trousers, and then looked up, curious as to why Peyton was waiting. So, she asked, "What are we waiting for?" Peyton ushered Bevin a little ahead with her hand, and then pointed with her index finger towards the house.

"I think there's something wrong. All the windows, the lights, they're all off. Why would all the lights be off? They wouldn't… _couldn't _have gone to sleep without us being back. And the top window, it's wide open. Anyone or anything could just come right in. They aren't that irresponsible Bevin… Bevin?"

But while Peyton had been explaining what they were waiting for to Bevin, Bevin had thought it'd be perfect to slip ahead and see what all the fuss was about. She had taken the sideways path along the trees, and that's why Peyton hadn't noticed her stealthily pacing across the grass and bushes towards the house's lower window.

Peyton screamed out, in a glassy hoarse whisper, "Bevin!"

Bevin seemed to have heard her, as she reached the house and backed up against the wall, bending down. She gestured for Peyton to come her, calling out inaudibly. Peyton didn't like the idea of it at all, but she was more frightened to be alone in the woods. And so she ran.

**…**

"What took you so long?" Ian asked, discontent and disgust clear on his tongue.

"There was some trouble at the house."

"Was there a boy there, my height, blonde hair? And a girl with him, little petite bitch, blonde hair too?"

"Not that I can recall. Why?"

Ian was clearly frustrated, but didn't show it. "No reason. Let's go."

Just before they left, he reached into the boat and lifted the old knives.

**…**

Not realizing that someone was not more than twenty feet away, Felipe grunted noisily, and then picked up Lucas over his shoulder, cursing. "Fucking bitch ran away did she? No matter, the princess's boy-toy is with me now." As he was about to emerge through the trees, he tripped over a loose branch and dropped Lucas down to the ground. Lucas groaned quietly, Felipe yelled out loudly in pain, and in that moment, Brooke Davis turned around.

"Did you just hear that?" She asked, her eyes glimmering with fear.

Mouth nodded, and Nathan looked back towards the carnival, where the sound had seemingly come from.

"We have to see who it is!" Brooke exclaimed, exasperation prominent in her voice.

"No, we don't," said Nathan, "What if it's him? The killer? What if this is all a plan to get to us? What if…?"

But Brooke interrupted him, her voice going a notch higher this time. "What if it's Haley? What if it's Rachel? What if it's Lucas, or Peyton, or Bevin? What then, Nathan? What then!" She looked at him coldly, and then continued. "If you're not coming, I don't care. My friends deserve this much from me."

She turned around and started walking towards the opening, as Mouth gazed at her and called out, "I'm coming too. Wait up!" With the two of them ahead, Nathan started tagging behind, with Chase's limp corpse over his shoulder.

**…**

Rachel sighed, realizing that no one was around her. She had made a few subtle noises, as a sign to see if anyone in the surrounding would respond. But no one did. She thus came to the conclusion that the killer wasn't here. Haley had been stirred too, and now the too started whispering to one another.

"How do we get out of here?" Haley asked, nervously.

"Oh. I know! I'll just whip out my magic wand, say a little gibberish, and I'm guessing we'll be in Tree Hill in seven seconds." Her tone was so overly sarcastic, Haley kicked her with her tied up legs.

And then suddenly, they heard a sound. It was the sound of something shattering, a glass or window. Haley shuddered unintentionally with fear, and Rachel kept repeating, "Just stay calm. Just stay calm."

They could hear a rush of footsteps, and the next moment, the sheet was lifted from above their heads. _Their sheet of protection, their only hope of survival, gone._ Rachel opened her eyes abruptly, and then yelled out, "What the hell! Bevin! Peyton!" Haley now laughed out loudly, as the girls bent down and loosened the ropes. Peyton quickly looked back over her shoulder and then said, "What happened here!?"

Haley replied, "There was a killer. He's somewhere near. He could be in the house."

Only now did Haley notice they were in Lucas and Peyton's bedroom, lying on the floor.

The ropes were loose now, as all four girls stood up. They rushed outside the door, still quietly, and peered downstairs. There was no sound of anyone being around. "We have to get out of the house. And we need to find the others as soon as possible. Lucas left to find you both, while Nathan, Mouth and Brooke went to find Chase…" Rachel said, as they descended down the stairway. "We gotta find something we can use against him…"

Peyton looked to Bevin, and then shook her head. "Them. There's more than one. We saw Ian. _Psycho Derek._ He's coming too."

Panic was now surrounding the air around them. They started ransacking through the kitchen's drawers, looking for knives or anything else they could use as a weapon. Bevin walked over to the main door and locked it. She then looked back, and amidst the sounds of banging silverware asked, "You guys, where's Skills?"

Rachel looked solemn, and the room fell unexpectedly silent. She glanced at Bevin, there was a confused and naive expression on her face.

"Well, Bevin…"

Out of nowhere, there was a bang on the door. Bevin jumped back, startled. The thumping increased.

And then Ian yelled, "Come out and play, bitches!"

**Okay, I know this chapter didnt have much in it, but the next one will make up for it, I promise. I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think... Thanks!**


	12. The Hero Dies In This One

**Hey everyone. Okay okay, if you want to kill me, its totally justified. Im so sorry for not being able to update earlier. Ive been loaded with schoolwork lately, I celebrated my 16th bday last Monday, my exams start on the coming Monday, and my family just left for Nottingham two days ago (without me, I might add!). But thank you to all my reveiwers so far: i'mNICKjonesBITCH, JosselynR., SV, x.kaytee.x, IloveJameslafferty, BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, Stormstar, L, nemo123489, THwriter, bethy23, naley19, iamkagomeiloveinuyasha, dramaqueenchris405, mobach3, hunneybee100, Lucas Scott 223 and Jenscott, and to all my readers, I love all of yous. Now here's another chapter...**

**Chapter 12... The Hero Dies In This One**

"Oh my, this one's quite the pretty boy, isn't he?" Felipe remarked, slapping Lucas on the face harshly, and then turning around to a table. Lucas groaned; he was slowly coming to. He was tied standing up, against a metallic wall of sorts, the kind at a doctor's office. His feet were numb on the hard ground, barren and dusty, and his head was facing the ground, throbbing horribly. He attempted to look up, and a few drops of dark blood fell to the floor. A minute later he couldn't even see them properly. He blinked slowly, still making slow moans, he noticed his surroundings. He was inside somewhat of a shaft or secret store house, someplace where anyone could probably have managed to even live.

The walls of the house were logs of wood, and it was pretty dark inside, except for the moonlight falling through a cracked and dusty window. There was no furniture there, except for a chair at one end, near the window. The window's rim had been pulled up, and he could hear the sound of crickets outside. He then looked ahead of him, his eyes still blurry, not being able to adjust to the light. It was then when he noticed one of his eyes was shut, a possible bruise caused by the man in front of him.

The man's back was to him, and the sight frightened him. The man was facing a wall lined from top to bottom, side to side, with shiny metallic ornaments and implements, leaving out the wooden paintbrushes on the top right. They were not like any other paintbrushes though, since the edge where the brush was supposed to be, was a sharp pointed blade, much like a porcupine's needle. Maybe they weren't paint brushes at all.

"Wh-Why have you brought me here?" Lucas asked, hearing his weak voice for the first time.

The man now turned around, grinning cruelly. "Well well, somebody's finally decided to get up, have they?" He turned back to the wall again, examining it carefully. Lucas had noticed his features now. He was a tall man, around 6'2, with plenty of scars on his aged face. His mouth held a bitter expression, and his eyes were rather thin and snake like. He had a bushy round beard, half black and half white.

"Why?" Asked Lucas, again, another trickle of blood falling down.

The man didn't answer, but cackled. A chill ran down Lucas's spine at that moment. The man then reached for pliers from the wall, but yet again these were like no ordinary pliers. They were rather thin and small, and the part which was meant to cut through something, was extended to pick up or cut something smaller.

_Something like a finger, _thought Lucas, imagining his own doom.

The man turned fully this time, and walked a step towards Lucas. He was smiling. "I wonder why you damned teenagers keep coming here, again and again. I've run out of space in my back yard, and the lake smells like shit." He coughed, droplets of spit erupting from his mouth, visible in the night, before they fell to the ground. "Maybe no one cares for you lot, eh? Or maybe no one ever finds you? I don't know what it is…" He shook his head, as though he'd come across a dilemma.

"Why have you got me here?!" Lucas managed to say, his voice showing a tone of frustration.

"To give you a manicure, of course," Felipe replied.

Lucas squinted his one open eye, and spat blood onto Felipe's face. "Fuck you," he added.

"Tsk tsk," said Felipe, wiping the blood from his cheek with the back of his free hand. "I was only going to give you a manicure, pretty boy, now I'm going to have to give you the whole special. Pity, these teenagers never learn."

Lucas didn't want to show it, but fear had started to well up inside him.

Felipe then sighed, and reached for one of Lucas's hands. His arms were tied down, but he could wriggle his hands as much as he'd wanted. "Now," said Felipe. "This usually never hurts."

He put the pliers forward, and held up Lucas's right hand. He put the pliers accented edge underneath the first fingernail, and then in one straight rip upwards, removed the nail from his finger.

"Ah!" Screamed Lucas, with pain and fury and pain, his screech echoing in the night.

Blood droplets had formed at the side of his finger, and were slowly falling to the ground, giving company to the rest.

"Sssh, sssh," said Felipe, like a mother telling a child, "That was just finger one. There's still nine more to go." And then he slapped Lucas again, a dollop of blood pouring out his mouth with the action.

**…**

"Oh my god. What are we going to do?" Asked Haley, quickly, a look of sheer terror on her face. The door banged again. They had pushed the couch against it earlier, so that it wouldn't budge easily.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" Ian yelled.

They all rushed to the center of the living room. The windows had been shut by them. Ian and the murderer hadn't moved from the front door, or so they hoped. Only one window was open, the one above. The idea seemed to have rushed to all of them in one go.

"We have to seal it, or guard it. We can't leave the house. They won't let us," said Peyton, trying to take the lead here.

Bevin was feeling trapped, and slightly irritated. No one had told her anything, and she wanted answers. So she erupted out, "Guys. Where the hell is Skills?!"

Rachel looked to Haley, a stern look of concern on her face. Bevin gulped silently, she feared he was injured, or lost in the woods.

Haley nodded slowly, and Rachel held Bevin's hand and pulled her to the side.

_Bang on the door. Again. And Again._

"Bevin, you know we're all here for you. And we all love you so much. And Skills…"

Rachel broke off, looking at the perplexed expression on Bevin's face.

"Well?" Bevin asked.

"He's gone, Bevin. The guy… who tied us up, he killed Skills. We didn't know when it happened. Haley was going for a shower and…"

Bevin's expression was still. She didn't say anything for a moment, nor did she move. Then she laughed. And it wasn't a happy laugh, like the normal Bevin, it was something quiet, and sorrowful. Something forced, to break the awkwardness.

"I didn't even get to tell him I loved him," she said, looking down to the floor. A tear fell down from her cheek onto the floor, shining. She sniffed, and then smiled. "This isn't what Skills would have wanted."

_Bang._

"We're gonna come in now…" He chimed in, in a sing-song voice…

Bevin walked to Haley and Peyton, both of them tense yet depressed. "We're going to fight girls. I have a baseball bat in my room. You know, just incase. We're four. They're two."

Rachel smiled at Bevin's enthusiasm, in the face of such a crisis of sorts. "Yeah. Grab whatever you can. This _isn't_ the end."

**…**

"Through here, I think," said Mouth, leading the way through some bushes, towards a well-trodden path visible in the form of flat grey pebbles. It was a curvy path, clearly made and distinctly visible behind the _House of Mirrors_. They had looked everywhere else in the Carnival. Whoever had killed Chase, wasn't here. And neither was Lucas.

They followed the path, crossing various types of crops and tall needle grasses, the soil sometimes wet and sometimes dirty and dry. At the end of the long path, they came across a shaft. It was small, pretty small, and the door was slightly open.

"Should we?" Asked Brooke, her voice echoing in the cool night.

**Well, thats all. I made it much longer than a usual chapter to make up for the long wait. Sadly, my exams start on the 17th, and they'll end on the 28th, so I don't think I can update before that. But I will promise to update on the 28th, straight after they end. I may find time in the middle, but I can't promise anything. Also, the chapter's title is NOT a spoiler, it's just a title of a One Tree Hill episode (I sometimes get my titles from them). But here is a spoiler, for who want to see:**

**Two characters will die in the next two chapters. **

**Also, now there arent many chapters left either. Im thinking, maybe two or three more. Anyways. Please let me know what you think, and thanks a lot for sticking with me so far. Thanks!**


	13. Let The Reigns Go Loose Now

**Hey everyone. Well, im back. Exams are over, and as promised, here's another chapter. Okay, before you read, I just want you to know, everyone when writing something like this has to take some risks. And when I kill off someone, its not because I dont like them, its whats best for the story. And I know if I didnt kill a particular character, I'd be killing some other character instead, so someone else would be hurt instead of you. So im just trying to say, please dont be too pissed off at the character deaths that take place. Well, here's another chapter...**

**Chapter 13... Let The Reigns Go Loose Now**

"On three," announced Brooke, whispering. Her voice sounded hoarse, but that could have easily been the wind. "One, two, three…"

They were all standing outside the shaft, and hadn't dared go across to see inside the windows. They feared the worst, and would rather take it head on than through a glass. Brooke knew deep down that her worst fears could have come true. Peyton could be inside there, along with Bevin, or Lucas, they could too be dead, just like Chase. She didn't want to believe it. But it could be true.

_It's not true, _she repeated in her mind. _Stop scaring yourself silly. Everything is going to be alrig…_

She opened the door. And there he was. Against a wall, tied. The sight was gruesome. Brooke didn't realize she was yelping out, crying, screaming, everything. Lucas was standing still against the wall, tied, his head low, two paintbrushes ejecting out of his neck, a pool of black blood on the dark ground, his body bruised, jarred.

Everything was falling in front of her. First Chase, now Lucas.

_No, no, no, not Lucas. Lucas wasn't dead. He was alive. Was he alive? Alive, just like Chase was. For a few last words? Before he vanished into oblivion? Was Lucas alive just to say goodbye? _

Or was he not alive at all?

Brooke didn't know when it was that she had fallen on the floor, on her knees. Mouth and Nathan had rushed forward, after placing Chase next to Brooke. Mouth had an expression of terror on his face, as Nathan shouted, "Luke! Luke! Man, get up! Lucas!" There was a small table next to Lucas's body, with the custom made pliers, a set of normal pliers and a sickle kept on it. They were all bloody at the edges.

Mouth untied him, a flow of tears bursting out silently while he did so. After the ropes were untied, Lucas's body fell into Nathan's arms, the paintbrushes still erect. There was a wet gash on his chest, like someone had snipped him there with huge scissors, or the pliers, and the blood stained Nathan's tee-shirt. Nathan was sobbing, his brother was dead. No pulse, no rhythm, it was over now. Brooke stood up. The door closed behind her, due to the breeze.

Her feet were trembling, and those four steps she took to his body were like walking on burning needles. She didn't want to see him up close; she just wanted to go back to Tree Hill. Back, away. She collapsed in front of him, right onto his stomach. She was holding onto him, all of them were.

And then the door flew open. The light hid the face of the man. The man who had killed Lucas and Chase. But even though he was hidden, she could tell he was smiling. And she hated him. She hated him so much.

"Well well, a little party going on here?" He asked, looking at Chase's corpse, and then stepping ahead into view, reaching to the wall of weaponry, which neither of them had paid attention to yet.

Brooke glared at him. She looked to Nathan and ushered him to stand up. He did. Mouth held onto Lucas. She reached to the side table and picked up a sickle.

Stuttering but sternly, she said, "Now… it's our turn."

**…**

Bevin rushed up the stairway to where her room was, to get the baseball bat. She in her haste didn't remember to close the open window, but absent mindedly ran into the room and looked under the bed. The room wasn't illuminated, but the moonlight from outside seeped inside in gaps and illuminated it well enough. The door was ajar, and as she reached down and picked the bat up, she heard a sound behind her. She turned back quickly, to face a man smiling at her. He was standing at the edge of the door, half inside. He wasn't Ian.

"You killed him," she said, bitterly.

"I kill a lot of people," he replied. His voice was chilling yet calm.

"You disgust me."

"Pity."

And then he ran forward. As soon as he did, some impulse ran inside Bevin's head like a doorbell, and she swung. The bat connected with his jaw, and he flew backwards from the impact. He screamed out in agony, a muffled scream, his jaw was cracked. Blood was pouring from the inside of his mouth, half blood, half saliva, onto the floor.

"You bitch," he managed to spit out. He was standing up again, grabbing the bed for support.

She swung again, this time on the bed where his fingers were. The steel bat collided with them directly, and he recoiled in pain. There was a certain cracking sound, like his fingers had broken, and she didn't know whether it was her imagination or not.

"I'll kill you," he muttered.

She was frightened by his words. But she swung. And swung, tears streaming down her cheeks onto the wooden floor.

Below, as the girls collected weapons, there was a sudden thumping on the windows. _Thud, thud, thud. _Haley glanced back without much attention at first, and then yelled out at the sight. It was Ian. She hadn't seen him before. But somehow, she knew it was him. He was smiling. And banging his hands against the windows. His fingers left a white imprint on the windows each time. Then he took out a knife, waved it around in the air like an airplane toy, and then pretended to stab himself. He made a silly face, much to Haley's surprise, and then without another seconds waste, broke the window. Peyton and Rachel saw almost all of this, and faced him with their weapons: A cutting knife and a large pan, while Haley stood defenseless.

A strong almost steaming sense of horror filled the room, just as Ian opened his mouth. "And now little piggies, it's time to cut you up."

He ran after them, just as Rachel yelled out above, throaty, "Bevin! Jump out!" He looked backwards at her words, and she took this opportunity to rush forward to stab the knife into his right thigh. He cringed and fell, as they backed away towards the shattered window.

"Climb out, now!" Peyton ordered the two of them.

"Run all you want. We'll catch you! Your friend Bevin's probably dead. Why do you think I waited so long to come in? Dumb little sluts!" He hissed. "It was to distract you while Torrence climbed up the window. And now he's going to jump down… and stop you… and then I'm going to kill you…" He was singing along now.

A sudden shock filled the girls. Haley looked to the others and said, "I'll go get her." Rachel looked down, gulped silently, saying, "No, run. I don't have anything to lose. Just run. I'll go get her." And as they started clambering outside the window, Rachel ran up the stairs, not realizing Ian had already removed the knife from his thigh.

**Well, thats all for now. Okay, I said that there'd be two character deaths in the coming two chapters. One has taken place. Now another one will. Hope you guys wont completely hate me for it. Anyways. Hope you liked the chapter, and please let me know what you think. Thanks!**


	14. Misery Is A Butterfly

**Hey everyone. Well, I guess its safe to say some people weren't happy with the last chapter. And I knew this would happen. But thanks to all who read and reviewed. Well, hopefully people like this chapter better.**

**Chapter 14... Misery Is A Butterfly**

"No!" The shout that escaped Rachel's lips was filled more with rage rather than sadness. She turned backwards and ran towards her friend, who was now lying on the forest floor.

**Before…**

"Bevin?! Bevin!" Rachel called out, running upwards. She didn't dare look back, realizing she might freeze in fear if she saw where Ian was. Her feet were trembling and as she was reaching the top step of the wooden flight, she tripped in haste, and fell forward, hitting her mouth on the edge. She shook her head, this was no time to rest, and saw the droplets of blood falling like a slight drizzle of oil from her upper lip onto the light floor. She didn't care. She could hear some sounds behind her, but she continued upwards. It was surprisingly dark up there, since the one main light of the hallway had been switched off. On walking forward, she noticed broken glass below; the bulb had been thrown down or fallen somehow. She walked into the first room she saw which had an open door, and ran inside.

"Oh God." The sight in front of her made her yelp, as she saw a man's body lying near the bed. His head was a bloody battered mess, and as far as she knew, he was dead. His black wet sweaty hair stuck to his forehead, almost entwined with the redness. _Thank God Bevin,_ she thought, even if the sight scared her. And then, suddenly, she heard her name being called. It was a faint sound, and she could barely make out if it was actually_ her_ name that was being called. It was Bevin, from somewhere far.

Rachel turned her gaze away from the man and ran outside to the broken window, looking down. And there they were. Right before the woods began, her friends were waiting.

"Rachel! Use the hooked rope!" Bevin pointed and yelled, and Rachel then for the first time noticed a hook on the inside of the window, leading outside. She then looked back, to see Ian smiling at her, his face becoming visible as he rose up the stairway.

**…**

"Oh, little poppet gonna hurt me, is she?" Felipe said, in a fake tone. "I'm _so_ scared." He picked up a custom made weapon made of wood, with a sharp end on both sides, like a pike. He then stepped closer to them, and Brooke almost dropped the sickle. Nathan had picked up the pliers, and Mouth guarded the bodies, worried.

"You think you're so funny, don't you? You think you're just going to kill us _stupid_ teenagers like the rest? Well, you're fucking wrong." Brooke said, surprised as her voice wasn't trembling. Felipe's eyes turned into thin slits, and he whispered, "Then hurt me."

Nathan looked to Brooke, and as though they'd had some kind of mental communication, Brooke instantly threw the sickle towards Felipe. It flew through the air and turned several times before barely missing his head. He laughed, but a little too soon, as Nathan rushed forward and swung the pliers at his head. The impact made a sound, like that of meat being hammered. Felipe fell back, cursing, as Nathan reached to the wall and lifted a pickaxe. He turned to Felipe, who was lying on the floor, staring at him. Nathan swiveled the pickaxe in the air without noticing, and then said, "You made us." And then he brought it down on Felipe's torso.

It made a gut wrenching sound, and Nathan plucked it away, and then hit Felipe again. Felipe wasn't moving. Brooke was in tears, Mouth was speechless, Nathan was silent. Blood from Felipe had sprayed like dots on his face, and Brooke went forward and rubbed it off with her shirt. He stood quiet, and then Mouth stood up, lifting Chase's body. Nathan went and lifted Lucas's, and Brooke stared at Felipe. Suddenly, his eyes opened and he reached for the pike and slammed it into Brooke's right foot. She yelled out in agony, as Nathan ran forward and kneed him in his face, taking out the pike without a second thought and driving it through Felipe's head. Brooke was bleeding, and crying, and she fell into Nathan's arms.

_Is it over?_ She wondered.

**…**

Ian was limping, she could tell.

"Fuck," she said aloud, panicking, and grabbing the rope. There was a long ledge below the window, which made it much easier for her to balance herself, as she started rappelling down the side.

"Bitch!" She heard Ian yell, just as she reached the ground window. The sudden shock of his closeness made her drop the rope, but by now she was only a few feet above the ground. She fell down with a slow thud and then was helped up by Peyton. Just as she entered the woods, they heard the sound of the glass shattering into a million little pieces, followed by a bump. Then there was a loud cackle. It was him. Haley turned around and so did Peyton, but Rachel yelled, "He can see you! He's coming! Run!"

Peyton suddenly shook out the fear and caught Haley's hand, who seemed to be paralyzed with terror. The next moment, Rachel heard the sound of the air whipping slightly, just as Haley turned back. It was a slow sound, and she saw the light pink dusty shirt Haley was wearing become red at the center.

"No!" The shout that escaped Rachel's lips was filled more with rage rather than sadness. She turned backwards and ran towards her friend, who was now lying on the forest floor.

Ian was coming towards them now, only a few feet away. He had stopped running. "Bevin! Knife!" Rachel yelled, as Bevin threw it in front of Rachel, thoughtlessly and impulsively. Rachel stood up and ran, irregardless of all her fear and desperation and love and hate. Ian had been startled, she guessed, before she sunk the knife deep into his belly. "You motherfucker," she whispered, at an inch's distance from his mouth. His warm breath filled her mouth, his heavy breathing, the sweat dripping from his head. It was as though time had stopped, they weren't on Earth anymore. She was fixed to him, together, and before she could move, he pulled out the knife, and pushed it into her back.

She clung onto him then, and he smiled, realizing he hadn't lost. _But he had._ The blood seeped through from her back onto his front, as did his front onto her stomach, and they both fell down into the leaves, defeated.

**I hope you liked the chapter. Please dont mind the character death(s) -- its only a story. Oh, and just incase youre wondering, only one of Rachel and Haley is dead. Not BOTH (I think you know who it is). Only one or two chapters to go now. Anyways, please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.**


	15. Halo

**Hey everyone. Well, this is the end. First, I just want to thank all my readers and reviewers: JosselynR., RathanIsLove, ILoveJamesLafferty, THwriter, DreamerChick21, bethy23, naley19, x.kaytee.x, dramaqueenchris405, brucasfanatic, nemo123489, XxTrueLovexX, BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, Lucas Scott 223, Stormstar, i'mNICKjonesBITCH, SV, L, iamkagomeiloveinuyasha, mobach3, x.Sofia-t.x, Jenscott, cloudlessS M I L E, NaleyBrucasJeytonfan1011, ONETREEHILLGIRL1723, Literati and Naley forever, lalaONETREEHILL, Nathanlover, lucas'sbabygirl, Natalie, wtlozy, erika x3, LeytonTilEnd, H.SCOTT-23, nscottgirl23 and Raven-23-Mayra.** **Thanks for making this one of the best fics I've ever written, and I had a great time writing it. Hopefully I didnt disappoint you all with the deaths. Anywho, here's the last chapter...**

**Chapter 15... Halo**

Peyton didn't realize what had just happened. As far as she was concerned, they were just sitting in the forest idly, as if talking or reminiscing. The sounds and screams and shrugs around her seemed useless, as she stared at Haley, dying, in front of her. She knew somewhere close, Ian was dead, and that Rachel was clinging onto dear life, but she couldn't move her fixed gaze from Haley's tired face.

Haley's sweaty hair stuck to her forehead like dark brown crayon lines, and she was coughing, quietly crying, painfully moving slowly. Peyton held her head on her knees, and was suddenly struck out of the dream sequence when Bevin nudged her, sobbing loudly.

"Peyton? Peyton! Oh my god Peyton…" She was mumbling incoherently, and all Peyton could do was to faintly smile, not believing this was really happening.

She hadn't really loved Haley, or ever forgiven her for leaving Nathan, and she felt as though this was just a repeat performance. Haley was trying to leave Nathan again, and Peyton couldn't stop her, could she?

_Nathan would be left all alone all over again, and he'd become a fucking mess, just like the last time you left him…_

"Haley…" Peyton said slowly, "Haley?" Her voice was calm but still strained, almost as though she was searching for Haley.

Haley nodded, and then Peyton looked up at the sight in front of her.

Bevin was sitting near Rachel, and had her head on her knees, much like Peyton held Haley's. But she was a stark contrast to Bevin, who was crying loudly, salty tears falling to the ground, some of them on Rachel's face and clothes. Rachel seemed to be whispering something, and Peyton without wanting to, starting sobbing quietly.

**…**

Brooke didn't care to knock. She rushed inside the door, crying out, "Peyton! Haley?! Rachel! Bevin!" Her voice was throaty, and she was about to yell again, but stopped when she saw everyone in front of her. Haley and Rachel were lying down on the couches, slightly bandaged, Haley not moving, Rachel twitching momentarily, and Bevin and Peyton looked up at her as she came.

"Oh… my god," she choked out, just as Nathan and Mouth came in, carrying the bodies.

Just as Lucas's body was dragged inside, Peyton's heart sunk. Brooke looked like a mess, her eyes were puffy, her hair wiry and wild, her little makeup spread over her face inappropriately. Peyton now knew why.

She stood up slowly, whispering, "Lucas?"

Brooke rushed forward, shocked, confused, and hugged Peyton, who stood lifeless. Peyton than quietly and gently pushed Brooke away, and walked like a zombie towards her dead boyfriend's body. She bent next to him, put her hand on his cheek and said, "Come on now Luke, you're getting everybody scared. Just wake up. Come on…"

She slapped him slightly on his cheek, and then shrugged his limp shoulders. "Get up Lucas, don't make a scene here. Lucas? Get up, come on, Luke? Luke!" Everyone stared at her, as she shrugged him wildly, and then fell on him, crying, broken.

Nathan hadn't noticed Haley, but at that moment he did, and ran forward, calling her name. He gazed at her wound, she was still in her pink top, and his mouth fell open…

"Hailes, I'm here," he said, sitting beside her. Bevin looked up from Peyton to Nathan, sadly, and then glanced back at Rachel.

Haley nodded, and then said, "I love you, okay?"

"I love you too," he said, and his voice was almost inaudible as he held back tears.

"Okay," was all she said, and he saw the light leave her eyes.

"No, no, Haley, no!" He was arguing with the air, but she was gone.

Nathan closed her eyes with his palm, crying, _this couldn't have happened…_

Brooke and Mouth were standing and looking, just looking, at what was left of their friends, their family.

**…**

The patrol car arrived, strange sirens blaring, followed by another, and the officers stepped out. Nathan had found a cell phone and some old batteries amongst the many kept at Felipe's hideout in a stored box. One of the batteries had worked. He was lucky, but couldn't help but imagine how recent Felipe's last victim would've been.

They examined the mess, shook their heads like all officers, onlookers to a massacre they couldn't even imagine. One spoke into his walkie-talkie, "Yeah, there's like a whole crowd of casualties here, really messed up…"

Nathan stood by Brooke and Peyton, as Rachel was carried away, she had survived, her wound not nearly as deep as the gash Haley had. It was strange, but it was fate. Bevin was holding her hand as she was leaving, consoling her.

She then stepped back as the car drove away, leaving just one car for the survivors.

They all stood silent, solemn, Nathan, Peyton, Bevin and Brooke. Dawn was almost upon them, the morning wind made patterns with the girls' hair. They knew that Tree Hill would never be the same, _they _would never be the same, and all that was left now, was to pick up the pieces, and to live their lives. They walked together inside the car, trying to forget this dark stain on their existence, knowing they'd never be able to.

**Dont read this before -- (SPOILER) Okay, I did it. I know so many of you will curse me for killing her, but if I hadnt, this would be like any other fic where everything just ends happily (thanks JosselynR., for that one). Anyway, please let me know what you thought of the whole fic. Thanks for reading!**


	16. Author's Note

**Hey everyone.**

**Here's just a notification for those of you who read _Hide & Seek_ – the sequel's first chapter is now up. It's called _12/21_, and you can find the link on my profile. Here's hoping you like it.**

**Later,**

**Glaceo**


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